There are many known uses of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO.sub.3). For instance, sodium bicarbonate is used in baking as the primary ingredient in baking soda and baking powder which provides a CO.sub.2 source for leavening. Sodium bicarbonate is also commonly used as a cleaner and in many medications such as a wash or enema. Industrially, sodium bicarbonate is an intermediate product to many compounds and especially to Na.sub.2 CO.sub.3 in the Solvay Process. Additionally, sodium bicarbonate can be used to kill household ants.
There are many known herbicides used to control vegetation. Some herbicides are selective, e.g. to control broad leaf weeds growing among grass, while others control a wider range of plant species. Some herbicides act to control vegetation when the active ingredient of the herbicide comes into contact with the leaves of the plant, while others saturate the soil around the plant's roots and are subsequently absorbed by the roots.
A major disadvantage of many of the known herbicides is that they are not only toxic to the unwanted vegetation, but are also hazardous to man, the environment, and wildlife. For instance, the user of a toxic herbicide must be concerned with direct contact of the active ingredient of the herbicide with the skin or eyes, and with vapors emitted by the herbicide being inhaled into the lungs. Also of concern is the longevity of the herbicide residues remaining active in the soil which creates a potential for run off of the toxic herbicides into the ground water. Many of the active ingredients used in herbicides are known carcinogens.
It is known to use arsenic compounds as herbicides. U.S. Pat. No. 615,444 discloses a herbicide using arsenic as the active ingredient. The disadvantage of using arsenic is that it has a high mammalian toxicity and its use in herbicides is extremely hazardous to man, the environment and wildlife. The composition of the '444 patent also contains sodium carbonate but, not as an active ingredient. Rather, it appears to assist in rendering the solution stable. The use of sodium carbonate is also disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,054,796 as a component in a solution for treating infections in trees.
A method disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,534,289 uses sodium chlorate as a herbicide. The '289 patent suggests the use of a herbicide solution in which a small amount of sodium bicarbonate is a component; however, the active ingredient of the solution is sodium chlorate, not the sodium bicarbonate.